Study: Cable really cooking

Spurred by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the cable sector has upgraded
plant and added services to the tune of $173 billion in gross economic output,
now boasting 1.1 million jobs representing $42 billion in personal income.

That's according to a glowing, just-released study from Bortz Media &
Sports Group for Daniels & Associates.

Among the study's other findings:

• Basic-cable networks grew from 87 in 1992 to 308 in 2002;

• Basic networks increased spending on programming more than sixfold in the
past dozen years, from $1.4 billion in 1990 to $9.2 billion in 2002; and